Youthful 'canes Exception To Rule

November 30, 2002|By Omar Kelly Staff Writer

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — In college basketball, it's not unusual for a freshman to come in and make an immediate impact on a program.

When it comes to college football, however, there aren't many "diaper dandies" talented enough to make a significant contribution to a winning program. But some of the youngsters on this season's undefeated Miami Hurricanes team have been an exception.

When the Hurricanes (10-0, 5-0 Big East) take the field against Syracuse today at the Carrier Dome, four freshmen -- receiver Roscoe Parrish, fullback Quadtrine Hill, cornerback Kelly Jennings and linebacker Roger McIntosh -- will be among the starters.

And if UM has a comfortable lead over the Orangemen (4-7, 2-4) in the second half, it's likely that a dozen or more freshmen will get their numbers called because Miami's second-team offense and defense is full of true or redshirt freshmen.

"We're going to evaluate and play the best players. We really don't care if they are a freshman or a senior," coach Larry Coker said. "Usually you don't do very well when you play that many young players. But they are really intelligent kids who have all stepped up. They've grown up a whole lot this year."

And more importantly, Miami's young talent has done it with little drop off in production.

Coker said his philosophy is to play the best athletes no matter their level of experience.

That's why redshirt freshman like McIntosh can unseat a senior, Howard Clark, for the starting strong side linebacker spot, or why an athletic cornerback like Jennings can start ahead of junior Al Marshall all season despite wearing a hand cast.

"When you have a good recruiting class like we had, you're going to have some good athlete who can come in and compete for a job," said tight end Eric Winston, who is one of 10 true freshmen who have played this season.

Consider it a change of the times.

Each year the recruiting class has gotten better. With the high caliber of athletes UM is bringing in, the Hurricanes can't afford to waste a young player's season if he's talented enough to start.

Coker said it's no longer realistic to expect some of the team's top prospects to stay around four or five years, not with the NFL's riches calling. That was evident after Miami lost three juniors to the draft last year. No less than half a dozen underclassmen on this year's team are viewed as first day draft picks.

Coker said he also feels it's more beneficial to reserve a player's redshirt season for a possible season-ending injury, like the ones sophomore running back Frank Gore and junior defensive tackle Santonio Thomas suffered this season.

If either player had redshirted his freshman season, Miami wouldn't have been able to preserve a season of eligibility for them by having the NCAA grant a medical redshirt.

Parrish, who redshirted last season, said he was initially envious of the five true freshmen who played last year. But in hindsight, Parrish -- who was chosen over senior Ethenic Sands to replace the injured Kevin Beard -- said he realizes he wasn't ready to play last year, and he's not alone.

All four of the redshirt freshmen currently starting said sitting out last season, and working with the scout team helping the offense and defense prepare for each week's opponent, sped up their development.

"There's more to this game than just catching and running with the ball. I learned that redshirting," said Hill, who has caught 13 passes for 177 yards this season. "Working against the first-team defense helped me learn about how defenses work. I learned what [defenses] are reading and now I try not to show those things."

For some positions (mainly offensive line, defensive line and the linebacker core), working on the scout team is traditionally a rite of passage.

Going against top-notch talent like William Joseph, Jerome McDougle and Vince Wilfork every day in practice taught freshmen offensive linemen Alex Pou and former St. Thomas standout Anthony Wollschlager that they need to get bigger and stronger to hold their own.

"Working on the scout team is a great experience for me because I'm going against the top defensive lineman in the country," Pou said. "When you do that you can't help but get better."